Overhead Press Basics

With the three main power lifts – barbell back squat, barbell deadlift and barbell bench press – covered, I’ll be moving on to covering the basics of other important barbell compound movements. In this article, I’ll cover the Overhead Press, which you may have seen abbreviated as OHP or referred to as the Military Press. It is a movement where you stand up straight and press a barbell over your head without momentum generated by your legs (which is a Push Press). It seems like a straightforward shoulder movement, but it’s actually much more than that when performed correctly.

The OHP is my favorite upper body pressing movement. My current one repetition maximum with the Barbell Overhead Press is 100kg/220lbs at a body weight of 85kg/187lbs (as of 7/9/2013). I prefer the OHP over the bench press because (when performed properly) the overhead press challenges the entire shoulder girdle as a complete unit without limiting movement of the scapula. It also puts a lot of demand on your entire body to stay stable as your press a heavy weight above your head.

I’ll link a few tutorial videos for the Overhead Press first and then go into some details about it. Shoulder health is of extreme importance with the OHP, especially if you’re planning to go heavy. Make sure your shoulders are in good shape, learn proper technique and gradually increase weight over time.

OHP Technique

I’ll start you off with some videos you could call OHP 101. They will teach you the basics of the Overhead Press movement. I know I mention this in just about every article I write about lifts, but for a very good explanation of the OHP, read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. I’m not saying you have to run the program, but it’s a great book just to learn about the basic barbell lifts.